It is known to build retaining walls, containment systems, levies and/or other similar structures using soil bags. Often, soil bags in retaining walls are not affixed to each other. Rather, gravity and friction are often relied upon to help hold soil bags in place. It is also known to use an impervious plate having a plurality of spikes protruding therefrom to hold soil bags in place, and to anchor sheets of geogrid material extending from between courses of soil bags into the fill retained by the soil bag wall. Such plate is positioned on top of a first layer of soil bags, and then a second layer of soil bags is placed thereupon. Accordingly, the spikes, which generally extend from the top and the bottom of the plate, puncture the vertically and horizontally adjacent soil bags in contact with those spikes to help hold the soil bags in place. Such plates may also have projections to protrude through holes in the geogrid sheet to anchor the soil bag wall to the reinforced soil structure.
While gravity, friction and the known plates may initially hold soil bags in place, the soil bags may shift and move over time. In particular, impervious plates serve as a barrier to water and plant growth that might otherwise drain and grow through the soil bags. For example, such plates prevent plant growth from penetrating the soil bags to help lock them into place. As such, a retaining wall structure incorporating the known plates may be prone to deteriorate more quickly. Further, such plates are not recommended for use with soil bags comprised of material that may degrade or decompose over time as the material comprising the soil bags is needed to help retain particles in the soil bags and otherwise stabilize the structure incorporating the soil bags.
Thus, there is a long felt need for an improved system that may be used to help hold soil bags in place and otherwise strengthen a retaining wall, containment system, levy and/or other similar structure. In addition, there is a need for a system with components that may be easily penetrated by roots and water to support plant growth between soil bags.